Currently American Express is offering limited time elevated sign up offers on the Hilton Surpass Card and the Hilton Honors Card. These both include a Free Night Reward in addition to the points normally earned. The Amex Hilton Surpass Card is offering 130,000 Hilton Honors points plus a Free Night Reward for spending $3,000 in the first 6 months after card sign up. The Amex Hilton Honors Card is offering 70,000 Hilton Honors points plus a Free Night Reward for spending $2,000 in the first 6 months after card sign up. These offers state they will end on 4/29/25.
These are great bonuses as Hilton free night rewards are the best hotel free night certificates. While the free nights with Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt all have caps on the hotels they can be used by the number of points or the category of hotel, Hilton does not. Hilton free night certificates can be used at essentially any hotel that can be booked with Hilton Honors points as long as there is a “Standard Room Reward” available. This includes properties like the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. But as Hilton partners with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), you can also book these. If there is a Standard Room Reward available you can call or message Hilton to book if for you. What also makes Hilton valuable when using points or a free night certificate, is they don’t charge you any taxes or fees like some programs do (Marriott).
Some of the hotels I have booked with Hilton free night certificates include the Waldorf Astoria Cabo Los Pedregal and the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa in Jackson Hole, WY.
The Waldorf Astoria Cabo Los Pedregal typically costs well over $1,000 per night. It is on the beautiful west coast of Mexico in Cabo. Every room includes a private plunge pool. Here are pictures below from when I stayed.
The newly renovated Waldorf Astoria in New York City is finally reopening this fall after being closed for several years for significant renovations. A Standard Room Reward here starts as low as 130,000 points per night. With the current sign up bonus on the Hilton Surpass Card, you could book a two night stay here for free. The fall through the New Year seemed to have minimal availability at the standard room rate, but January 2026 is wide open at the time of writing. So if you signed up for the Hilton Surpass using my link proved below and meet minimum spend, you could fully book a weekend in NYC at the Waldorf Astoria with no out of pocket cost for the stay.
Here is an example booking below for two nights on January 1/9/26 – 1/11/26 for either 130,000 points a one Free Night Reward or a total of over $3,200 after taxes and fees.
The American Express Hilton Surpass Card includes the following:
- $150 Annual Fee
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
- $50 quarterly Hilton credit for a total of $200 each year
- Earn a Free Night Reward with $15,000 spend in a calendar year
- 12x points on Hilton spend
- 6x points on restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, gas stations
- 4x points on online retail
- 3x points on everything else
- No foreign transaction fees
Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward after $3,000 spend within the first 6 months after card approval with the current limited time offer until 4/29/25.
The American Express Hilton Honors Card includes the following:
- No Annual Fee
- Hilton Honors Silver Status
- 7x points on Hilton spend
- 5x points on restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, gas stations
- 3x points on everything else
- No foreign transaction fees
Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward after $2,000 spend within the first 6 months after card approval with the current limited time offer until 4/29/25.
